D-Day history to share with the kids

Rating: 10/10 (9 April 2001)

I have watched this and several other D-Day movies and I like this one the best because it has great music and can be watched with my family. It also shows German, English and French perspectives which serve as a reminder that this was a World War not just an American one.
I often watch war movies with my kids to help them with their history lessons. They find it much easier to learn from a movie than from a textbook. This movie was very good for this because it keeps switching points of view and from the big picture to small individual actions. It is excellently acted and filmed but it has enough slow scenes that my kids can catch up by asking me questions.
For my generation it is hard to remember that World War II is really ancient history to today's kids. It is harder for the kids to understand that in this world of political correctness where they can't even say bad things about other people, that there used to be such evil as Hitler and the Nazis. This movie lets me tell them about the horror without them actually having to see it unlike more 'realistic' movies such as 'Saving Private Ryan'.
My favorite parts of the movie are the John Wayne scenes where he is at his gritty best. Another movie that I like that is similar to this one is 'A Bridge Too Far'. It has the same great acting and action while trying to give a historical flavor to the events.